To run a successful business, there are dozens and dozens of skillsets that are necessary.  Many owners mistakenly believe they need to be competent in all facets of a business: bookkeeping, accounting, collections, marketing, sales, operations, customer service, IT, human resources, administration, management, legal, etc.  What a tragic and costly mistake.  Any wonder why most owners are exhausted or overwhelmed?  Any wonder why most owners do the wrong type of work on a daily basis?

When starting a business, most owners out of necessity, must wear many hats and must do most, if not all, the tasks.  That is OK and normal the first year or so.  However, an owner's mindset from the beginning should be that the only hat he/she will eventually wear is that of Chief Executive Officer (CEO).  Owners must be committed to shedding hat after hat until they have only one hat left and their business will be worth a fortune.  While each owner has their own time schedule, as long as they are on the path to "give up hats", they will be fine.  

Besides, here is the truth.  You can NOT be great at or even become very good at all the above skillsets -- even with hard work and practice.  We are not wired to be good at everything.  Even if you could be, there is NOT enough time in the day for you to do everything -- you must focus on what you do best.  Sadly, many owners miss this lesson and try to become competent at every role and task.  They tragically work and work and work on their weaknesses until they are simply left with strong weaknesses.  That is insane and exhausting. 

Why not leverage your strengths instead?  Why not hire others, let them do what they do best, and you focus on what you do best?  This seldom occurs.  In my many years of business coaching, I have concluded that most owners do not know what they are truly gifted and talented at doing.  Or, they take their talents and gifts for granted and dismiss their uniqueness and value.  Again, most owners try to become competent at everything and that is very difficult, tiring, and goes against our nature.  You are naturally great at a handful of things already.  God gives us certain strengths, abilities, gifts and unique talents.  What are yours?

Let me ask you a series of business coaching questions that can help shine some light on your God-given talents, gifts and unique strengths.  What do you do extremely well and quite easily?  What do you do that energizes you and fuels your passion?  What do you do that makes you and your company significant amounts of money?  What do others (family, co-workers, and friends) say you are naturally talented doing?  What do you do that is almost at a mastery level but somehow you get better and better at doing it?  What gives you joy and time flies by when you are doing it?  What do you do that is very special and valuable to your company, even if you take it for granted?  Whatever your answers are to these questions are most probably your unique gifts and talents -- what you naturally do best.  

Your answers could have been any of the following: selling, marketing, promotion, innovation, experimentation, design, product development, writing, planning, leading, motivating, communicating, etc.  Talents that are valuable and create real wealth for your company.  Now the big questions.  Are you maximizing these talents?  Are you spending the bulk of your day using these talents and gifts?  Or, do you spend the bulk of the day doing things you aren't great at and don't particularly enjoy?  Stop developing strong weaknesses and focus on your strengths.

Now that you know your unique talents, abilities and gifts, commit to spend more time doing those and less time doing the tasks you aren't good at and don't enjoy.   Don't fight against nature.

Daniel M. Murphy
The Growth Coach
Business Coaching Franchise System